Slimmed-down Caesar Salad

My slimmed-down play on traditional Caesar salad will delight your taste buds without expanding your waistline. On August 31st, 2016 I had so much fun showing Dina from Breakfast Television Toronto how easy it is to make this Slimmed-down Caesar Salad and two others from my cookbook Healthy Fresh Salads.

Healthy Fresh Salads

The other two recipes I talk about in the segment are from my cookbook Healthy Fresh Salads. The recipes in my cookbook have been tested by my team of recipe testers who are regular people, not chefs or nutritionists. They made sure that:

Every recipe is easy to make with step by step instructions

Recipes work every time, so you don’t end up with a disappointing pile of lettuce

Recipes are made with ingredients that are easy to find

Salads are so yummy that your family and friends will be asking you for the recipe

The average Caesar salad is really high in fat!

Average restaurant Caesar Salad entrée has 500 calories and 40g of fat. To put this in perspective, that is double the calories and fat of a big mac and the sodium is usually through the roof. The culprit – creamy Caesar salad dressing. Slimmed-down Caesar Salad has half the calories and fat and double the flavour.

Slimmed-down Caesar Salad Recipe

(vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free)

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

1 big heads of romaine lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces

4 Tbsp nutritional yeast* optional parmesan cheese substitute

Homemade Sprouted Croutons

2 cups sprouted bread cut into 1cm squares

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp garlic powder

Caesar Dressing

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, roughly half a lemon

1 egg

3/4 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp hot sauce

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Start by making the homemade sprouted croutons by tossing the bread cubes in grapeseed oil, garlic powder and salt. Next, place in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté until golden brown.

Make the Caesar dressing by whisking together the garlic, lemon juice, egg, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, pepper and salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil tasting as you go.

To assemble the Slimmed-down Caesar Salad, place the lettuce in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Top the salad with homemade sprouted croutons and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Average restaurant Caesar Salad entrée has 500 calories and 40g of fat. To put this in perspective, that is double the calories and fat of a big mac and the sodium is usually through the roof. The culprit - creamy Caesar salad dressing. Slimmed-down Caesar Salad has half the calories and fat and double the flavour.

Ingredients

1 big heads of romaine lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces

4 Tbsp nutritional yeast* optional parmesan cheese substitute

Homemade Sprouted Croutons

2 cups sprouted bread cut into 1cm squares

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp garlic powder

Dressing

a garlic clove, minced

½ lemon, juiced

1 whole egg

¾ tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp hot sauce

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Make the homemade sprouted croutons by tossing the bread cubes in grapeseed oil, garlic powder and salt. Place in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté until golden brown.

Make the Caesar dressing by whisking together the garlic, lemon juice, egg, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, pepper and salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil tasting as you go.

To assemble the Slimmed-down Caesar Salad, place the lettuce in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Top the salad with homemade sprouted croutons and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.